Justifying ruler for typewritten matter



s- 1, 1950 H. A. ALLEN 2,517,159

JUSTIFYING RULER FOR TYPEWRITTEN MATTER Filed July 1, 1947 I I I I I I l l I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II I O 5 I I 4O I I I l I0 40 M. M,

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Patented Aug. 1, 1950 Herbert Alle 1 Claim:

This invention relates to a rulerfor use in connection with a typewriting machine which has changeable spacing, that is, mechanism by which the advance of the carriage for each depression of a key or .the space bar can be increased by a definite amount. For example, th carriagemay ,be madeto advance the usualdistance of a single character space or, "by a simple change the feed adjustment, three steps of the carriage may advance it a distance equivalent to four character spaces. A typewriting machine of this description can be used to justify lines of typewritten matter by varying the spacing of parts of the lines to the extent necessary to make each line end in vertical alignment with the ends of the other lines.

In preparing copy for justified typing, the matter is first typed in the usual manner with uniform character spacing. The matter is then retyped, the spacing being increased at the beginning of each line and continued to a sufficient extent to make the line end in vertical alignment with the ends of the previous lines. ject of the present invention to provide a simple ruler which Will aid in determining the point in each line at which the typewriting machine must be adjusted from wide spacing to standard spacing to justify the line. The details of procedure are more fully explained hereinafter in connection with a description of certain embodiments of the invention illustrated on the drawing, of which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a ruler embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a modified form of ruler;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a ruler for use with a typewriting machine having a different adjustment.

The ruler H! shown in Figure 1 may be of any convenient shape having a straight upper edge l2 along which are scale marks l4 defining scale divisions equal to the character spaces of the typewriting machine (not shown) in connection with which the ruler is adapted to be used. This ruler is designed for use in justifying lines of typewritten matter to a length equivalent to fortyfive character spaces, and also for use in connection with a typewriting machine having adjustment mechanism by which each advanc of the carriage is one character space or one and one-third spaces as desired.

On the ruler I are a series of an arbitrary number of marks 20, 22, 24, etcetera, which coincide with the 3rd, 6th, 9th, etcetera, scale marks and thus define groups of three scale divisions n, BostonpMass ApplicatioiiJulyl,1947,iSeria1l Io,15,42 i

beginning with the'jzero scale mark at the left.

[,Acorresponding series of an equal number of marks 30,32, 34, etcetera, coincide with the 44th,

It is an ob- 43rd, 42nd, etcetera, scale marks thus progressing in reverse order,that is, from right to left. Since themark ZO cQrrespondsto themark 30, these may be visuallyassociated in any desired mannersuch as making them of the same distinctive color, or, as shown in Figure 1 these two marks may be visually associated by a horizontal connecting line 40. In like manner a horizontal line 42 connects the marks 22 and 32, and a line 54 connects the marks 24 and 34.

The ruler shown in Figure 1 is used as follows. The written material is first typed in the usual manner to make a preliminary copy, then the ruler is applied to the typed matter. If the first line is to be indented, say five spaces, to start a paragraph, the ruler is placed immediately below the first line of the typed matter so that the scale mark 5 is just to the left of the first character. Then the operator makes on the paper a pencil mark just to the right of the last character that can end the line short of the scale mark 45. Suppose, for example, that such pencil mark is directly above the mark 34 which coincides with the 42nd scale mark. A second pencil mark is then made directly above the mark 24. which is connected with the mark 34 and coincides with the 9th scale mark. The re-typing of the line then begins, with the machine adjusted for wide spacing. When the carriag pointer reaches the second pencil mark (at the 9th scale mark) the adjustment is changed and the rest of the line is typed with standard spacing. This will bring the matter marked off on the preliminary copy by the first pencil mark exactly to the 45th space in the re-typed copy.

The ruler is then applied to the preliminary copy so that the first scale division is immediately below the first character to the right of the first pencil mark hereinbefore mentioned. Another pencil mark is made on the preliminary copy to the right of the last character which can end the second line of the re-typed copy, and the foregoing procedure is repeated.

The ruler 50 shown in Figure 2 is used in precisely the same manner as that shown in Figure 1. It is preferably long enough to extend the full width of the typewriting machine and is provided with a slide 52 of any convenient construction which can be set in any position along the ruler according to the desired width of the re-typed copy. Thus, as shown in Figure 2, the slide is set for re-typing copy to a width of thirty character spaces. The slide has vertical marks 60, 62, 64, etcetera, which connect respectively with horizontal lines 70, '72, 74, etcetera. The latter extend to the left hand edge of the slide and are aligned respectively with the lines 40, 42, 44, etcetera, thus cooperating therewith to provide a visual connection between the marks 60 and 20, the marks 62 and 22, and so on, regardless of the positionv of the slide on the ruler. Hence, for any setting of the slide, the; ruler 50 is the equivalent of the ruler Hl.

Figure 3 illustrates a ruler 80 similar to the ruler In or the ruler 50 except that it is. designed for use in connection with a typewriting machine in which the carriage may be adjusted to advance by steps of one character space or by; steps of one and one quarter character spaces. When adjusted for the wider spacing, four steps of the carriage would advance it a distance of five character spaces. On the ruler fill, the vertical marks 90, 92, 94, etcetera, define groups of four character spaces, the right hand portion of the ruler (not shown) being identical with that of the ruler I0 or the. ruler 50:.

I claim:

A justifying ruler for typewritten matter to be re-typed in justified, linesof a predetermined number of character spaces, said ruler having along its upper edge scale divisions equal to said character spaces, a series of vertical lines on said ruler extending down from scale marks defining successive equal groups of scale divisions beginning at the extreme left, each said vertical line having a horizontal extension spaced from all the other horizontal lines and extending to the right on the ruler, and a slide extending across said' ruler to cover a portion of the space thereof and adjustably movable thereon,.said slide having a series of vertical lines extending down from the upper edge thereof and spaced apart a single scale division, each said vertical line on the slide having a horizontal extension to the left hand edge of the slide registering respectively with a horizontal; line on the ruler so that the marks of one said series are visually connected with respective marks of the other said series in the reverse order.

HERBERT A. ALLEN.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

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